“President, I’m back.”
“Mhm. Good to see you back.”
Makarov raised his head from a pile of complaints from the Council.
“How did your training go?”
“I made some progress.”
Byakuran said this as he placed the object he had been carrying over his shoulder onto the counter with a heavy thud.
A whole barrel of wine.
Makarov’s eyes first narrowed out of habit.
Then, a layer of moisture gradually welled up in those small eyes.
“B-Byakuran…”
The old man’s voice trembled slightly as he shakily touched the wine barrel.
“You child… I knew I hadn’t spoiled you for nothing. I never thought you would actually…”
When he had been in the royal capital, Byakuran had secretly promised himself that he would buy two months’ worth of wine for the president as an apology.
Later, he had stood outside a winery for quite some time, seriously recalling the president’s alcohol tolerance.
Then he had carefully examined his own coin purse.
In the end, he decided that sincerity could be expressed perfectly well with a single barrel.
“I bought it along the way.”
“Along the way?”
Makarov’s hands froze around the barrel.
After the initial wave of emotion passed, his mind returned to normal, and his expression shifted from being touched to displaying the professional suspicion of a guild master who had seen far too many troublesome children.
“Kid, I’ve been the guild master for decades. What kind of child just happens to carry a barrel of top-quality wine back for his president? I know you too well.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“Speak. What kind of trouble did you cause outside? How many houses did you demolish? How much money do you owe? Is the Council’s summons already on its way?”
“No. Haven’t you learned my style by now?”
Byakuran spread his hands innocently.
“That’s true. You brat have always been reassuring…”
Makarov paused.
“No! Then why are you treating me to such good wine for no reason?”
“Then how about I take it back and give it to someone else?”
Byakuran carefully considered his wording before tentatively reaching for the wine barrel.
“In your dreams!”
The old man slapped his hand away.
“Once you give it to me, it’s mine!”
He turned his head and shouted toward Cana.
“Cana, put your nose down! How old are you?!”
“I’m just sniffing it!”
“Sniffing is no good either! Brat, go drink some juice!”
Taking advantage of the commotion, Byakuran stepped forward and lowered his voice.
“By the way, President, do you know where I can learn Take Over Magic?”
Makarov’s hands paused around the wine barrel.
“Take Over? The magic that allows you to take the power of other creatures into your own body?”
“Mhm. Does anyone in the guild know it?”
“No.”
The president shook his head.
“That magic is both rare and difficult to practice. I haven’t heard of many people around Magnolia who can use it.”
Just as Byakuran was about to sigh, the old man slowly added:
“What are you planning to do by learning Take Over Magic?”
“You know that I’ve been looking for ways to make up for my weaknesses in close combat.”
Byakuran spoke honestly.
“Recently, I found a really good creature, so I want to learn Take Over Magic and strengthen myself.”
Hearing this answer, Makarov seemed to associate it with something.
His brows instantly knitted together.
He placed his wine glass on the counter with a dull clink.
The next second, anger gradually appeared on his face.
As though he had finally reached his limit, he jumped up and smacked Byakuran on the head.
Smack!
“You big idiot! Byakuran, your understanding of magic is far too childish!”
“Ouch!”
Byakuran covered his head and looked at the president with a wounded expression.
“President, why did you hit me?”
“Kid, you lack reverence for magic.”
Makarov’s expression became serious.
“I don’t know what creature you’re talking about, but if it has caught your eye, then it definitely isn’t an ordinary creature.”
“And powerful creatures cannot simply be Taken Over.”
“Taking over the soul and power of another powerful creature is extremely dangerous. Unless a Mage has deep proficiency in Take Over Magic or possesses exceptionally powerful mental strength capable of suppressing the other party’s wildness and malice, the result could be disastrous.”
“At best, your body could mutate. At worst, the creature could seize control of your consciousness and turn you into its puppet.”
With a livid expression, the president continued lecturing Byakuran about the dangers of Take Over Magic.
“This is extremely dangerous, yet you’re planning to learn Take Over Magic by splitting your energy to cultivate it alongside your other magic, just so you can Take Over a powerful creature.”
“Do you not want to live anymore, brat?”
After venting his anger, Makarov looked at Byakuran, who was rubbing his head, and his expression softened.
“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the study of different kinds of magic. But you must maintain a sense of reverence toward unknown powers.”
“Many types of magic have powerful effects, but the price behind them can be just as terrifying. I certainly don’t want you to stray down the wrong path and lose yourself because you became obsessed with magic.”
“With this kind of last-minute cramming, at most you’ll be able to Take Over weak and harmless creatures like small birds and cats.”
“As for powerful magical creatures…”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Listening to the president’s scolding, Byakuran felt a warm current flowing through his heart rather than anger.
He had been hit, yet he couldn’t possibly become angry at this completely unreserved concern from an elder.
However, although he fully understood Makarov’s concerns, his situation was somewhat special.
Ordinary Mages who attempted to Take Over powerful magical beasts in the wild would indeed have to engage in a fierce battle of souls.
But Mahoraga was different.
Taking Over an untamed Mahoraga might be just as dangerous.
However, Byakuran had another option.
He could completely beat Mahoraga into submission and tame it first.
Once successfully tamed, Mahoraga would become a summoned entity that was completely obedient to his will.
If he were to Take Over a Mahoraga already under his complete control, what kind of conscious confrontation would he need to worry about?
There would be almost no risk.
“I’m sorry. I understand the risks, President.”
Byakuran took a deep breath, his gaze exceptionally sincere.
“But please let me try anyway. I’ll first cautiously test the difficulty. If I feel that it isn’t working after trying, I’ll give up.”
Makarov stared into Byakuran’s clear and determined eyes.
After they locked gazes for a long time, the old man finally let out a long sigh and rubbed his temples helplessly.
“Hmph. You brat…”
Seeing that Byakuran understood the risks and still insisted, Makarov finally compromised.
“Fine. Since you’re so determined, go ahead and give it a try.”
“So, do you know where I can learn it? The guild library doesn’t seem to have any relevant study materials.”
Byakuran had been a frequent visitor to the library over the past two years.
Although he hadn’t finished reading many of the magic books in their entirety, he still had a general idea of what was available.
Besides, in the original story, Lisanna and Elfman only learned Take Over Magic after joining Fairy Tail.
That meant there should be some way to learn it.
Makarov didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he moved the wine barrel behind the counter, leisurely took out a cup, filled it with wine, took a comfortable sip, and then slowly spoke.
“It’s not in the library. Don’t waste your time looking for it.”
Byakuran frowned.
“With so many books in the guild’s collection, there isn’t even an introductory book?”
“There is.”
Makarov took another sip.
“It’s locked in my room.”
“…Why?”
Byakuran was puzzled.
“The guild archives even contain ancient texts comparable to Super Magic. Is there really a need to hide Take Over Magic?”
“Because, just as I said earlier, this magic is too dangerous for brats!”
The president’s voice became solemn.
“So I’m not going to put something like this in a place where any brat can simply reach out and grab it.”
Byakuran’s expression turned slightly serious.
“Then you mean I can’t learn it?”
“I only said I wouldn’t let brats learn it casually.”
Makarov looked at him.
“But Mages whom I recognize are allowed to learn it.”
He slammed his cup down on the counter.
“If you want to learn it, you can. But you have to agree to two conditions.”
Makarov held up two fingers.
“First, your first Take Over must be performed under my supervision. I’ll personally check it for you.”
“Second, you start with weak creatures.”
His expression became fierce.
“If you dare touch that ‘really good creature’ you mentioned right from the beginning…”
“I’ll hang you from the guild’s entrance sign myself.”
“Mhm, mhm. I understand!”
Byakuran nodded obediently.
“Wait here. I’ll go get the materials for you.”
Learning the basics of Take Over Magic wasn’t particularly difficult.
This could be seen from the fact that Lisanna and Elfman had successfully learned it not long after joining Fairy Tail.
The real difficulty of Take Over Magic lay in its subsequent cultivation—and whether the user possessed enough mental strength to suppress the wildness or malice of the creature being Taken Over.
After a period of study, Byakuran successfully mastered the basics, grasped the fundamental principles of Take Over Magic, and completed his first Take Over experiment under the watchful eyes of the old guild master.
In fact, Byakuran’s original plan had been to Take Over the untamed Mahoraga.
That way, he could not only obtain Mahoraga’s power but also repeatedly summon Mahoraga as a summoned beast without worrying about it disappearing after being killed.
However, after hearing the president’s warning, Byakuran decided it was better to play it safe.
After all, having an additional Mahoraga summoned beast that couldn’t distinguish friend from foe did sound useful.
But it wasn’t that useful.
It was ultimately dispensable.
Therefore, Byakuran decided to Take Over Mahoraga only after taming it, gaining the reinforcement of Mahoraga’s power for himself.
If the summoned beast disappeared afterward, then so be it.
To carry out the taming process, Byakuran traveled dozens of miles away from Magnolia and arrived at a completely uninhabited, rugged, and desolate ruin.
Mahoraga’s characteristics meant that taming it required an overwhelming amount of power capable of killing it instantly.
Although Mahoraga’s combat power probably couldn’t be considered top-tier in the world of Fairy Tail, even in its base form, it was more than capable of rivaling an S-Class Mage.
Its exact upper limit was impossible to determine.
After all, this creature had never appeared in Fairy Tail before.
To prevent any accidents, Byakuran decided to go all out.
He couldn’t afford to misjudge his strength and allow Mahoraga to adapt to his magic.
That would be a huge disaster.
And going all out wasn’t something he could casually do near the guild.
The resulting impact would simply be too great.
With no other choice, he had traveled to this desolate place.
Byakuran took a deep breath.
It was time to begin taming Mahoraga.
He clasped his hands together.
“Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!”
“Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!”
“Wood Release: Birth of the Tree Sea!”
“Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!”
Byakuran cast four enormous spells in succession.
A giant nearly a hundred meters tall slowly rose from the earth.
Its immense presence caused the ground to tremble.
A massive wooden dragon, comparable in size to the giant itself, coiled around its body.
It bared its fangs and brandished its claws as if it intended to devour everything in its path.
Its enormous tail plunged into the earth like the arm of the giant, casting the entire forest beneath its shadow.
The barren clearing was instantly transformed into a vast forest.
Huge trees erupted from the ground one after another, forming a dense sea of vegetation.
Countless enormous flowers bloomed atop the trees, releasing a strange and magnificent poisonous gas that gradually enveloped the entire forest.
Creating a forest filled with poisonous gas would allow him to weaken and restrain Mahoraga instantly.
After that, Byakuran could move his main body away and allow the Wood Human and Wood Dragon to launch their attacks directly.
Byakuran stood before the Wood Human, looking over his preparations.
He nodded in satisfaction.
“Mhm…”
“Field magic, crowd control, deadly poison, single-target burst…”
“Everything is maxed out.”
“If this still can’t kill it in one move, I’ll have to run away and find the president.”
Byakuran wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself.
“The only problem is that the Wood Human looks a little crude.”
“It would be nice if I could make it look cooler.”
“I’ll think about optimizing it later.”
“For now, let’s officially begin the taming.”
Byakuran’s Wood Release was originally simulated through magic, so its appearance could be freely altered.
“Burubu, Yura Yura…”
“Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga!”
A pale giant emerged from the shadows.
It possessed two pairs of winged compound eyes and a sacred wheel atop its head, while a deathly aura surrounded its body, sending chills down the spine.
The moment it appeared, Mahoraga immediately launched itself toward Byakuran.
However, Byakuran had already prepared for this.
He controlled the surrounding trees and vines, causing them to rapidly coil around Mahoraga and bind it tightly.
Then, using magic, he controlled a massive vine and had it carry him to the top of the Wood Human’s head.
The Wood Human’s fists, the Wood Dragon’s razor-sharp claws, and the surrounding trees and vines all attacked Mahoraga simultaneously.
Boom!
Several powerful attacks landed at once.
The earth shook violently.
Furious waves of energy spread in every direction.
Countless trees were uprooted.
The earth was torn apart.
Dust filled the sky, blotting out the sun.
The entire battlefield looked as though the apocalypse had descended upon the world.
Eventually, the attack came to an end.
After a long while, the smoke and dust gradually began to dissipate.
Where Mahoraga had originally stood, there was now only a massive crater nearly a hundred meters wide.
It was so deep that its bottom could not be seen.
There had been no suspense whatsoever.
Mahoraga had been killed instantly.
The taming was complete.
“Hoo~”
Byakuran let out a long breath.
He wiped the dust from his face and exclaimed:
“What a truly hearty and exhilarating battle!”